Fuel-feeder for furnaces.



E. T. WINKLER.

FUEL FEEDER FOR FURNACES.

APPLICATION IILED DEO.18,1907.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EHREGOTT T. WINKLER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE E. LANE SMIOKELESS FURNACE AND BOILER C0,, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A CORPORA- TION OF MISSOURI.

FUEL-FEEDER FOR FURNACES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

Application filed December 18, 1907. Serial No. 407,079.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, EHREGOTT T. TINK- LER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuel-Feeders for Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fuel feeders for furnaces, and my object is to produce an eflicient and reliable apparatus for automatically separating coarse from fine fuel and feeding the fine and coarse fuel into the furnace by separate paths.

A further object is to produce a fuel feeder which performs its function efliciently and reliably.

A still further object is to produce fuel feeding mechanism of simple, strong, durable and cheap construction which can be applied easily and cheaply to any of the approved types of furnaces.

\Vith these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1, is a side view of a fuel hopper equipped with a feeding mechanism embodying my invention, a part of the furnace structure and of the fuel feeding apparatus being shown in section. Fig. 2, is a plan view of a part of the furnace and fuel feeder. Fig. 3, is a centrally vertical section taken on the line III-HI of Fig. 2.

In the said drawings, 1 indicates a part of a furnace of any suitable type, and 2 the feed opening thereof.

3 is a hopper secured to the furnace and in communication with opening 2 to discharge fuel through the same into the furnace.

4 is a suitably driven worm shaft journaled in bearings 5 secured to one end of the hopper.

6 is a worm gear meshing with the worm shaft and journaled on a stub-shaft 7 secured to one end of the hopper.

8 is a gear-pinion rotatable with the worm gear and meshing with an idle gear 9 journaled on a stub-shaft 10 carried by the hopper.

11 is a gear wheel meshing with gear wheel 9 and secured rigidly on one end of a shaft 12 extending through the hopper and of square form in cross section within the latter.

13 indicates a series of similar toothed wheels fitting non-rotatably on shaft 12 within the hopper and provided with hubs let which abut together for the purpose of spacing the toothed wheels apart, it being noticed that the hubs 1 1 are of smaller diameter than the wheels, and that the teeth of the latter as they rotate almost contact with the sloping bottom of the hopper and successively pass through the interstices of a comb 15 secured to the bottom of the hopper just forward of the wheels, the teeth of such comb preventing fuel from passing under the hubs of said wheels while the teeth of the wheels by rotating in the direction indicated by the contiguous arrow, Fig. 3, prevent fuel from passing downward through the interstices of the comb.

16 indicates a gear wheel meshing with wheel 9 and secured rigidly on the end of a shaft 17 extending through the hopper vertically above shaft 12, and said shaft 17 within the hopper is preferably square in cross section.

18 are toothed wheels mounted non-rotatably upon the square portion of shaft 17 and provided with hubs 19 which abut together to space the wheels uniformly apart, it being noticed in this connection by reference to Fig. 2, that the toothed wheels 18 are vertically alined with the spaces between the toothed wheels 13 and that the teeth of each set of wheels are of sufficient length to substantially lap, it being desirable in practice that said teeth shall be long enough to almost touch the vertically alined hubs of the companion wheels.

20 is a guard or shield supported rigidly within the hopper and projecting clownwardly and forwardly therein around wheels 18 so as to compel all of the fuel with which the hopper is charged to pass below it before reaching the wheels, the fuel being fed by gravity as will be readily understood, though of course its gravitation may be insured or accelerated if desired, by prodding on the part of the attendant.

Assuming that the hopper is charged and that the shaft 4 is operating in the proper direction to turn the toothed wheels in the direction indicated by the arrows, Fig. 3, it will be seen that slack or very fine fuel will be picked up by each tooth of wheels 13 and discharged into the furnace so as to tend to form separate piles or ridges of fine fuel therein. The coarse fuel which cannot pass between the depending or forwardly moving teeth of wheels 18 will be conveyed in the direction indicated by the arrow contiguous thereto, that is to say, will be carried up and over shaft 17 before being delivered to the furnace and eventually dropped into the latter in the spaces between the piles of fine fuel. This feeding of the fuel continues uninterruptedly as long as the hopper is kept charged and the shafts l2 and 17' are operated. The effect of delivering the fine fuel to the grate, not shown, in piles or ridges as explained, is to facilitate the coking of such fine fuel, that is to say, it gives the flames a better opportunity to pass up, between and around such piles or ridges, it being understood, of course, that the coarse fuel which piles up between the piles or ridges does not check the passage of the flames to the same extent as would be the case if a continuous or unbroken layer of fine fuel covered the grate.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a fuel feeder which it is impossible to choke by reason of the supply containing particles too large to pass between the toothed wheels, as the arms of the upper wheels moving away from the furnace will encounter such large or coarse particles and prevent it from becoming wedged in between the wheels and interfering with their operation. It will also be apparent that the apparatus embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable, and I wish it to be understood that I reserve the right to make such changes in the form, proportion, detail construction and arrangement of the parts as shall properly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A fuel feeder for furnaces, comprising a hopper, a pair of substantially parallel shafts therein, toothed wheels mounted upon said shafts with the teeth of said wheels in alternating vertical planes, means to rotate said shafts in the same direction so as to cause the upwardly projecting teeth of the lower wheels to move rearwardly and the depending teeth of the upper wheels to move forwardly, a shield or guard above and forward of the upper series of wheels, and a comb projecting upward from the bottom of the hopper with its teeth arranged alternately with respect to the teeth of the lower series of wheels and with its interstices adapted to permit the teeth of said wheels to move successively upwardly and forwardly theretlnough.

2. In a fuel feeder, the combination of a hopper, a shield or guard projecting downwardly and forwardly into the hopper, a

, )air of shafts extending through the hopper,

one above the other, below said shield, a comb projecting upward from the bottom of the hopper forward of the lower shaft, a series of toothed wheels upon and rotatable with the lower shaft and provided with laterally projecting and abutting hubs, the teeth of said wheels being adapted to move through the interstices of the comb and the teeth of the latter to prevent fuel from passing down between the teeth of the wheels, a similar series of wheels mounted upon and rotatable with the upper shaft, and provided with laterally projecting and abutting hubs, the hubs and teeth of the last-named wheels being arranged in vertical alinement respectively with the teeth and hubs of the firstnamed wheels, and means for simultaneously rotating said shafts in the proper direction to cause the teeth of said wheels to successively force the fuel rearwardly over their respective shafts.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

EHREG-OTT T. \VINKLER. Vitnesses H. C. Ronenns, G. Y. Tnonrn. 

